Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

Albus woke and stretched, blinking. He raised his head slightly as he reached out with one hand, meeting the empty space where Minerva had been.

"Minerva?" He sat up and looked around, but he didn't see her. Perhaps she had to use the loo and went back down to the cottage. "Minerva!"

Albus stood and banished the chaise. She had said something to him. What had she said? He just remembered her voice in his ear. He called her name again. Perhaps she had gone into the orchard. She had expressed interest in the apples. At just that moment, something caught his eye. Little paw prints in the soft earth beside the stream.

Albus groaned. "Oh, Minerva!" He sighed, shaking his head. She would probably be just fine, but he still didn't like the idea of her little self out somewhere alone. There were dangers here of which she was unaware. He didn't think that he would wait for her to return.

He followed the paw prints a short ways, then they became lighter where she had turned away from the stream. He could see where she had begun to run toward the orchard, but he doubted he would be able to follow her path, although he could use magic to assist him. It would still be tedious. Instead, he flared into his own Animagus form and took to the air. As he flew above the small orchard, he heard a high-pitched screech followed by a low growl. Alarmed, he turned and flew in the direction of the sounds.

There was Minerva in her Tabby-form, on the end of a limb, her fur standing out around her, her ears back, snarling and growling, raising one paw threateningly. Her adversary stood on the same branch near the trunk. Minerva hissed and snarled again. The wildcat, a few pounds heavier than she and a good deal fiercer looking, remained where he was, his whiskers flattened back, his eyes large, and his tail switching straight out from his body. He emitted a long, low growl and inched his way toward Minerva, who arched her back and hissed again. Her attention was not distracted by the sound of a deeply trilled phoenix-song, though her ear twitched, and she continued to stare at her opponent, who, too late, became aware of the large bird coming at him from above.

The wildcat turned and raised a paw to swipe at the phoenix, but he was not the phoenix's target, and he didn't catch even a feather as the large bird grabbed the Tabby by the neck and brought her to the ground beneath the tree. As soon as Albus released her, Minerva transformed back into her ordinary form, and with a flash of flame, Albus followed suit, much to the surprise of the confused wildcat above them.

Minerva leaned into Albus's embrace, resting her forehead against his shoulder and let out a relieved breath.

"Are you all right, my dear?" Albus asked, worried.

"Fine, although my neck hurts where you grabbed me. Thank you, Albus!" She kissed his cheek and lay her cheek against his beard as he nuzzled the top of her head.

"You shouldn't have been out here alone – or you should have been more prepared," Albus chided gently.

"I didn't go far, Albus. And I would have been prepared if I had had any idea that there were wildcats on the island. I caught its scent before I climbed the tree, but I didn't recognise it for what it was. Had I known there were wildcats, I'm sure I would have and would have exercised more care."

"I am sorry. I ought to have told you. They feed on the hare and grouse. When Aberforth lived here, they didn't come this close to the cottage, but now, I suppose they have expanded their comfort zone. I will set up some anti-wildcat wards," he said.

"You will not, Albus. We are here only a small part of the year. I will simply take much greater care in the future." Minerva looked up at the wildcat, which was now scrambling across another branch on the other side of the tree, away from them, then leaping down to a broad, low branch to make good his escape. "It isn't his fault. And he just wanted me to go away – although I did catch a sense from him that if I were receptive, he might like an opportunity to mate. I might have been hurt, but not badly. Not that I would want to try to get into any kind of fight with such a creature, but it wasn't his fault. He was just doing what comes naturally."

"Could you communicate with it?" Albus asked.

Minerva shook her head, wincing at the pain in her neck. "No – that's hard enough with domestic non-magical animals. Wild non-magical animals are much more difficult to communicate with. It was very clear, though, that he felt I was in his territory, but I could have sensed that just by looking at him," she said with a chuckle.

"Here, let me see your neck." Albus grimaced as he turned her and saw the results of his rescue: a large set of bruises at the base of her neck. "I am very sorry, my dear! I didn't mean to cause such damage!"

"A little bit of potion, and it will be fine, I'm sure. What hurts most are my trapezius muscles, actually. A full-grown cat isn't meant to be lifted that way normally – but thank you! I am very glad you did!"

Albus kissed her neck. "You have such a beautiful neck, too. Let's go down to the cottage and take care of it." He kissed her bruises again, and a light, cooling sensation passed over her skin, and some of the superficial soreness was alleviated.

Minerva sighed as, hand-in-hand, they began to walk down to the cottage. "And I had wanted to try to catch us a fish for our lunch."

Albus laughed. "You had wanted to try to catch a fish?"

"Don't laugh, Albus! I thought it might be fun to try even if I wasn't successful," Minerva said, slightly put out.

Albus stifled a chuckle. "I am sorry, my dear. Of course it would be fun. I sometimes eat ripe berries in my Animagus form, and they taste absolutely wonderful to my phoenix-palate, so I suppose I could understand your wanting to try to catch a fish."

"For us both. Fresh fish is very nice even when you're not a cat," Minerva said somewhat crossly. Her shoulders ached and now she was getting a headache, and they were wasting time getting potion for her on their last morning on the island. It just didn't seem fair.

Albus stopped and turned her toward him, smiling down at her. He gently caressed her cheek. "You will have many opportunities in the future, my dearest Raggles." Albus softly kissed her forehead, then he slipped his arms around her and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips.

Minerva relaxed as he kissed her and very gently rubbed her back. She opened her mouth and let him deepen the kiss. His hand cupped her buttocks as he pulled her closer to him, and Minerva felt a slight tingle of magic. When she opened her eyes and broke the kiss, she saw that they were in their bedroom.

Albus caressed her forehead and cheek. "You need some loving care, I believe, my sweet delight," he said softly.

He kissed her once more lightly on the lips, then went into the bathroom, where Minerva could hear him opening the cabinet.

"You have a seat on the bed, Minerva," he called to her. "I will be out in a moment to soothe away all your aches."

Minerva's face relaxed into a smile as she sat on the edge of the bed and waited for Albus. He had a way of making her feel better, of calming her and putting her in a better frame of mind, just by being himself. With only a few words and kisses, he had helped some of her irritability drain away. He was so very good to her.

As he came out of the bathroom carrying a small tin, two potions bottles floating beside him, and Minerva turned to look at him, wincing at the pain in her neck.

"I love you, Albus," she said. "You are too good to me."

"I could never be too good to you," Albus replied with a smile. He set the potions down on the night stand on her side of the bed. "Now, let me help you off with these robes. Don't move your arms, my darling. Let me do the work here. Mm-hmm, very good. Now stand."

Albus very carefully and slowly helped her off with her robes; as she sat on the bed, he knelt and removed her shoes, then took off her stockings. He kissed each knee before standing and looking at her warmly. He Summoned the square blue bottle of potion and conjured a spoon.

"One swallow of this, first," he said, pouring some clear, viscous potion into the spoon.

Minerva obediently opened her mouth for the spoon. "Nngnn-ngle-nnsh," she said as she tasted the potion.

"What was that, my dear?"

"It's licorice. I hate licorice." She made a face. "You ought to have warned me."

"I am sorry! Next time I brew it, I will do something to disguise the flavour for you," Albus replied with a cheerful smile.

"You still brew your own potions?" Minerva asked as he poured out a small dose of green potion from the round brown bottle.

"Some. They last a while, and it's good to keep my hand in," he said in response, holding out the spoon until she opened her mouth again.

"Mmm, now that one is nice!" Minerva smacked her lips. "I can't even say what it tastes of, but it's very good!"

Albus chuckled. "I am very glad it meets with your approval, my sweet one." He gave her a quick peck on the lips. "Now, you just turn a bit here, and I'll sit behind you and put some of this on your neck and shoulders," he said as he took the lid off the small tin.

Albus began to work some of the thick, fragrant potion into her sore skin and muscles, and Minerva took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Oh, this feels lovely. And it smells nice, too. Juniper?"

"Some juniper, yes," Albus said softly. "Just relax . . . just relax, my love." His thumbs moved up and down either side of her vertebrae and up to the base of her skull, then easing them over her shoulders and down her trapezius muscles. He pressed slightly on her shoulders and said, "Lie down, now, and I'll do the rest of your back."

"Mmm." Minerva lay down on her stomach as Albus moved her legs up onto the bed. "Lunch," she murmured.

"Oh, we have time for lunch later . . . it's not so late yet. Not even ten-thirty. Just relax. Relax and let me do all the work." He leaned over and kissed the back of her head before he began to smooth his hands down over her back, lingering over her ribs, stroking and kneading gently.

When his hands reached her knickers, he lifted her gently and eased them down and off.

"So beautiful," he whispered. "So beautiful." He ran his hands over her buttocks and back up her back, then down again. "I am very sorry that I hurt you, Minerva."

"You didn't intend it, and I'm very glad you came along. I had no idea how I would make it past that animal, and I couldn't transform on that branch. It wouldn't have held me." She sighed as Albus's hands returned to her shoulders. "And it was worth it, too, if I get this lovely massage as a result."

Albus chuckled, and the sound sent a frisson of pleasure through Minerva. "I am enjoying it, too, my dear." His hands moved down to her legs, and he began to massage them.

Minerva spread her legs, and Albus smiled, continuing to knead her muscles, massaging her thighs and calves before reaching her feet. He rubbed her feet, massaging her arches, then separating her toes and paying attention to each one before returning his hands to her thighs. With whisper touches, his fingertips grazed the insides of Minerva's thighs. She let out a sighing moan and bent her knees, spreading her legs further.

"You like that?" Albus whispered. "When I do this?" He caressed her soft skin with tantalisingly light touches.

"Mmm, very much," Minerva said, her eyes closed. Her warmth and tingling was growing, and she raised her hips slightly and rocked on the bed.

Albus's eyes were warm with pleasure at her response, and he gradually moved one hand higher and began to gently touch her folds, barely grazing her clitoris with his fingertips. He smiled as Minerva moaned and tried to push back onto his fingers. He bent and kissed her buttocks, then gently nipped just as he slid two fingers into her.

"Oh, gods, Albus," Minerva moaned.

"Do you want more?" he asked in a whisper. "More?"

"Yes, more, please, more," Minerva begged as he began to thrust his fingers into her, his thumb angled to rub her clit as he pleasured her.

One of his hands went to the front of his own robes, opening them, and he kicked off his short boots before climbing completely onto the bed. He bent and licked and lightly nipped her back and shoulders, then he lifted her further off the bed as he moved down and lay on his back between her legs.

"I can't resist having a taste, my love, just a taste before I fuck you," Albus said with a growl.

Minerva's arousal increased with his words, and she thought again how she enjoyed it when Albus would suddenly use a word she never would have expected to hear from his lips, and to know that he wanted her, that he desired her, that his desire was deep and visceral. She moaned again as his tongue found her clitoris and his fingers continued to pleasure her within, and as he did, she found her excitement mounting, and her urgency, too, and she wiggled against him. His tongue flicked hard and fast as he moved his head to provide her with even greater stimulation, and she began to come. His fingers pulsed against her sweet spot, and she felt a sudden flow of warm moisture leave her as Albus lapped at her, groaning with his own pleasure and desire.

Then he was gone from between her legs, and she felt him grip her hips as the head of his cock found her entrance.

"Gods, fuck me, Albus, yes, yes, fuck me, tell me you want me, please . . . please . . ." Minerva begged him, his cock rubbing against her.

"I want you and I'm going to fuck you, Minerva, I'm going to fuck you until you come again. I love you, I need you, I desire you, and I am going to fuck you!" Albus said, gasping as he pushed into her. He moved one hand so that he could reach her nub, and he began to flick it as he stilled himself, with difficulty, and said, "Do you want me to fuck you, Minerva? Do you?"

In response, Minerva squeezed his cock inside of her, and he groaned.

"I want you to fuck me, Albus. Love me, fuck me, take me, please! Yes, yes!"

Albus began to move in and out, pumping steadily.

"Harder, Albus, harder!"

"You want it harder?" Albus asked, and he obliged her, thrusting hard and fast into her, until he could feel himself about to come.

"Yes, Albus, yes!" Minerva shouted, coming around his cock, her euphoria intense and driving out all thought of anything but Albus and her pleasure.

He allowed himself to release, holding onto her hips with both hands and pushing into her deeply a few more times as he spent himself. "Oh, gods, Minerva, I love you, I love you, Minerva, my delight, my sweet, sweet delight!"

Albus lay beside her on the bed, pulling her close, her back to his chest. He gave her a tired kiss on the back of her head, and sighed in contentment.

"I love you, Albus," Minerva whispered. "Never leave me, please, never leave me."

"As long as it is within my power, my dearest love, I will not leave you." He took in a deep breath and let it out. "How are your neck and shoulders?"

Minerva laughed. "I don't notice them at all."

"And the grumps are gone?" he asked in a teasing voice.

"Grumps? I was not grumpy." She thought a moment. "Well, mildly irritable, perhaps. But that's gone, too." She yawned. "I do feel remarkably sleepy, though."

"That's likely the green potion. It does have a mild sedative effect, though that was not its purpose. It helped relax your muscles before the massage." Albus found his wand and cast a Tempus. "Why don't you lie here and have a little nap, and I'll make us some sandwiches," he suggested. "We still have to set the wards for you, and although we have a little time, we will need to leave soon."

Minerva sighed. "I really don't want to leave. It's paradise here, or as near to it as we can get." She turned her head to look at him. "You haven't packed yet. I could do that for you while you fix lunch." She stifled a yawn.

Albus kissed her cheek. "You just take a short nap, my dear. I'll have Wilspy fetch my things when she comes to clean up."

He stood, tucked himself away, then pulled the bed covers up over Minerva. He bent and gave her one more kiss. "I will come get you when they're ready."

Minerva's eyes were closed, and she just let out a sigh. Albus chuckled and left to fix the sandwiches for them.

Fifteen minutes later, he was back. "Minerva, Minerva, my dear," he said, stroking her forehead. "Lunch is ready! Tea and sandwiches!"

"Already?" Minerva yawned. "It feels as though you just left." She blinked. "You go on down. I'll just dress and join you in a minute."

"Don't fall asleep again, though! I do want to set the wards. It won't take very long, but I don't want to rush, either, and we both have to be back at the school by two."

A half hour later, they were finishing the last of their tea, and Minerva asked, "Is this complicated? You said that when you set the dolphin wards, you had to go out on a broom and it took three days."

"Those were unusual wards. The island has a naturally-formed perimeter, and the regular wards are set to go one-half mile around its perimeter at low tide, more or less. With the new wards, I had to be very specific against one sort of creature – which is more difficult than allowing a specific creature or person in, as you may know – without having it affect the access of any others. They also had to go deeply enough to be effective against dolphins, allow any dolphins that were already within the perimeter to leave the area but not return, and although I should probably have used the island's perimeter as a way of setting the further perimeter, I didn't, and the ocean – to me – is just a formless sea of water, and it was hard for me to delineate the boundaries of the wards properly. I had never done anything quite like it, despite my experience with wards, and I made it more complicated than necessary. It was very good to have done once, and I learned a good deal from my mistakes, but I don't want to have to do that again. This is much easier; we may simply stand at any point on the island, and we can do what needs to be done to add you to them or to make any other changes to the existing wards."

"When was this that you added the creature wards for Aberforth?" Minerva asked, standing and placing her napkin on the table.

"About ten years after he acquired the island. Around . . . nineteen twenty-five, I think."

"Oh." Minerva didn't mention the thought that first came to her mind: she had been born in 1924 and wasn't even a year old at the time. "Well," she said briskly, "shall we get on with it?"

Albus nodded and stood. "Because this island isn't subject to any of the laws of the Ministry, when I took it, I created extremely strong wards, enhancing the ones that were already here and adding to them. Combined with the fact that it's unplottable and has been for several hundred years, it is a true refuge, and Eilean Tèarmunn is a very apt name. There have actually been witches and wizards who have lived here for years with little or no contact with the outside world. Of course, they had their family with them, sometimes quite a large extended family – the foundations of four interconnected houses can still be easily discerned on the second-smallest of the three mountains – so they weren't quite recluses or hermits, and usually there were at least a few members of the family who had frequent and regular contact with the rest of the wizarding world, but it truly is a sanctuary in many ways."

They stepped out the kitchen door into the noonday sun and Minerva took his hand. "Thank you, Albus," she said softly. "You needn't feel obligated to add me to the wards, you know. I would be content to have you bring me by Side-Along Apparition each time we come here."

Albus turned and smiled at her. "I am very happy to add you to them, my love, and this way, you can come here yourself, if you wish to get away for a while, or if you wish to proceed me, or if you need sometime to make a trip away from the island and then return. I don't want you dependent on me for that."

Minerva caressed his cheek. "I will never abuse your trust, you know."

He nodded. "I know it. You already have my heart; there are no wards between us, Minerva. This is something quite mundane in comparison." He kissed her lips lightly. "And I hope that I have your trust, my dear, as these stronger wards I created are blood wards. I added Aberforth to them using only a little venous blood so that he can come and go freely, but he can not alter the wards – although I do think that would be a bit beyond his . . . beyond his normal range of activities and not an easy thing, in any case. The blood wards, though, were created with my freshly flowing arterial blood, and I would like to place you on an equal footing with them. It would allow you to make any changes you like to the wards, renew them, add to them, and create Portkeys to bring someone with you, or even add another person to the wards. Your blood and your magic would also strengthen the existing wards if we were to use the older ritual and your arterial blood. If you are uncomfortable with the notion of creating such a strong blood ward, though, I will just add you using the same method as I did Aberforth. If we use venous blood as I did with him, you could Apparate here yourself and bring someone with you by Side-Along or by using a Portkey that I created for you, but you would be limited and restricted in many ways. It is up to you, though, my darling."

Minerva swallowed, but did not hesitate. "Of course I trust you, Albus. Completely. I would be lying if I were to say that I am at ease with such wards, but it is the result of hearing for my entire life that blood magic is almost the same as Dark Magic. I know intellectually that that is not true, but the sense of taboo is still there."

"So . . . a drop of blood from a prick of the finger, or . . . the other? It . . . it might actually be somewhat frightening. I do not wish you to be afraid, though. And although it does take what may appear to be an alarming amount of blood for the older warding, it really isn't as much as it seems and I have some Blood-Replenishing Potion here."

"I can't take standard Blood-Replenishing Potion, Albus," Minerva said, interrupting him. "I'm very allergic to it, for some reason. It's in my health records, but I suppose that for future reference you should know that about me, anyway. Mother and Murdoch developed a potion for me when I was a teenager that I can take, but I can't take the standard one without becoming extremely ill. It doesn't really pose a problem, as it's not the sort of potion one often has occasion to need."

"Oh, well . . . you should be fine without it. Does your mother keep some at the house, though?" Albus asked.

"Yes, and so does Murdoch, and there's some in the Hospital Wing, as well, just in case." Minerva shrugged. "I think I've only had to take it once in my life, the altered potion, but it keeps indefinitely if it's in an unopened, Charmed bottle away from the light, so it makes sense to have some on hand."

"When we return, I will bring you by Side-Along Apparition, then, so that you needn't tire yourself, and your mother can give you some of the potion when we get there." He frowned. "I wish I had been aware of this. We should keep some of that potion here on the island, too. I will ask Murdoch or your mother for the formula – if they will share it." When Minerva nodded, he continued, "In the meantime, I think you should be just fine – unless you would prefer to wait? It was rather important to me to add you to the wards today, for purely sentimental reasons. But if you would prefer to wait, that is fine, and I would understand. Or we could just do the simple one today and the more extensive one on our next trip."

Minerva reached out and rubbed his arm. "Albus, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate this. It means more than you can know. And especially after what happened with, well, that other witch."

"That was very different," Albus replied. "The wards there were simple ones, and setting them . . . setting them was a simple process, very much like what your father did for me at the McGonagall Cliffs. I never would have let her have this kind of access if I had had such wards there. It is not the same at all."

"That just makes this even more special," Minerva said softly. "You have asked whether it is what I want, but are you certain it is what you want? We could wait. I would understand if you wanted to wait and reconsider it. I would understand, really."

Albus shook his head slowly. "In my heart and mind, it is done. It is merely a matter of realising it." He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed it. "All that I am, Minerva, all that I have . . . I give it to you."

Minerva blinked back tears. "Then let's do it today. Let's not wait."

Albus nodded. "It won't bind us, you understand; it's not a binding, not in the sense of the bindings that you are familiar with, bonds of service, slave bindings, marriage bindings, adoption bindings, and the like, but there will be a deeper magical and physical connection between us because we will be warding the island with a very powerful old magic that, in a way, binds us each individually to the island and its wards." He swallowed. "You need to know that. It is not irrevocable, of course; it can be severed, if you ever wish it. And I am completely certain of the parameters of the connection, but if this alters your – "

"It alters nothing," Minerva said softly. "Even if it bound us magically for life, I would agree. We are already bound together; I have told you that. Anything else is . . . gilt. A wonderful, beautiful addition to what we have."

"You may not always feel that way, though," Albus said.

"I have felt that way for more years than I care to confess, Albus. Let us go and do the warding now." She slipped her hand down his arm to his hand.

"All right." Albus bent and kissed her lips softly. "We can do this from anywhere on the island. Is there anywhere in particular that you would like to do it? The top of the first mountain, perhaps?"

"Yes – no! The henge, Albus! That would be lovely."

Albus hesitated only slightly, then nodded. "The stone circle, then. You have your wand? Good, then we are off!" He put his arm around her and they Disapparated with a soft pop.

They arrived in the centre of the circle, and Minerva looked around her in delight. "A perfect way to end our holiday!"

Albus chuckled. "You wait until after it's over to declare that."

"You seemed hesitant about using this location – superstitious?"

"No, but . . . it could enhance or amplify the effect, but even if it does, that would only strengthen the wards, and that would be a good thing. Between that and our mated wands, they will be very powerful wards, indeed. I do think I will need to reintroduce Aberforth's blood to it afterward, as well," Albus said thoughtfully. "It would be very unpleasant if he were to try to Apparate here and bounced. Even dangerous. I will let him know not to try until I've had a chance to retune them to him again."

"What about Wilspy?" Minerva asked.

"Oh, she isn't affected by these ward changes, as she's a house-elf, and it's quite a different matter. Once I had Apparated through with her the first time – which was many years before Aberforth exchanged cottages with me – she could return at any time, even after I created the stronger blood wards."

"I am still amazed that Aberforth gave it to you, even though you gave him your own cottage."

Albus shrugged. "I believe that in many respects, he is actually more sociable than I am, though more taciturn. It was wearing on him, I believe, to be as isolated as he had once believed he wished to be. And although he claims not to want unexpected visitors, he enjoys having his friends pop around and see him at the other cottage. He is even on the Floo-network, which I never bothered with when I was living there. Having his friends come here for a visit was not impossible, but it was very difficult, as you might imagine. No, it really was quite an ideal exchange from both our perspectives."

"For some reason, I used to think that he lived over the Hog's Head," Minerva said.

"He does have a room there, but it's more of a convenience than anything else. He now has a lad who comes around to the cottage and helps him with the goats, too, which is another advantage for him. Before, he could never leave the island for long because, except on the rare occasions when I agreed to pop over and look in on the goats for him – which is not anything that I enjoy doing, I must admit – he was unable to have anyone else take care of them. He was very tied down."

"Well, I suppose we ought to do this if we are going to be back at Hogwarts by two," Minerva said with a sigh. "It wouldn't do to have the Headmaster and the Head of Gryffindor both late for the first staff meeting of the year."

"Very well. Only a portion of the invocation is in Latin. It is unlikely that you will be able to follow most of it, but you needn't. You need only listen, focus on my voice and on the intent to join your magic and your body with the magic and the body of this place, and to create wards to guard it and hide it from all, maintaining it as a sanctuary and refuge. I will perform the actual warding. In time, I will teach you all you need to know to maintain, renew, or change the wards. But for now, this is sufficient. Any questions about that?" Albus asked. When she shook her head, he said, "The reason that this may be somewhat . . . alarming for you is that the ritual takes arterial blood, and for this particular one, the blood comes from the carotid artery. Just remain calm and even if you feel . . . faint, simply concentrate on my voice. Because of the ritual, your blood will not flow out of you as it would if you were simply cut, however. It will seek your wand. You will feel that, and it will be very peculiar, no doubt. I am also going to let some of my own blood. Again, have no fear about the magical effects. It is a highly refined, though very ancient, ritual. It may be enhanced by our mated wands, but it cannot be altered in any fundamental way."

"I understand. You needn't continue to reassure me on that," Minerva said. She wasn't worried about the effects of the warding; she was more nervous about the blood aspect of it, both from the purely practical point-of-view that one does not normally stand about and allow oneself to bleed freely from the neck, and from the lingering sense that what they were about to do was considered taboo, and would even be illegal if they were in Britain.

"You may be glad of the reassurance when we are in the midst of the warding, however. The entire process will take no more than a few minutes, with the blood-letting only twenty or thirty seconds of that. Remember, maintain your focus on my voice and on the intent of the warding. It may help if you keep your eyes on my face."

Minerva swallowed and nodded. "I am ready."

"Raise your wand and remain focussed on our task," Albus said gently. Suddenly, he stepped forward, bent, and kissed her throat softly. "I will take good care of you, my love. I promise. And it won't hurt."

Albus kissed her throat again, and Minerva felt a slight tingle then some numbness where his lips had touched her. She raised her wand just as he had instructed, and he raised his, closing his eyes. Slowly, he began chanting under his breath, and as he had said, she understood little of it. Some of it sounded Latin, some of it as though it might be a Gaelic language, but some was so different from anything she had heard before that she didn't recognise it at all. There were words about the wind, the sea, the earth, and the trees; that much she could understand, but rather than focus on what she barely comprehended, Minerva concentrated on the rise and fall of Albus's voice and on their mutual intent to ward the island, to keep it safe and hidden, and to bind herself and her magic to it; she could feel his magic ripple around her and her own magic flow through her wand to mingle with his.

Albus raised his wand higher, pointing toward the sky, then he pointed to each of the compass points, turning slowly in place as he did so, and Minerva could feel his magic radiating out from him in waves of energy. He opened his eyes, and when they met hers, he smiled slightly, though his voice didn't falter. With his left hand, he reached out and touched her right wrist, adjusting the angle of her wand, then he nodded once, pointed his wand at her throat, and a brief burst of magic opened a small slit through her skin and flesh and right into her artery. It was a peculiar sensation, although it did not hurt, but her heart seemed to pound harder as she became aware of her blood pulsing out of her body. She continued looking directly into Albus's face, though, listening to his voice, focussing on their intent in the ritual, and placing all of her trust in him.

As he had promised, the blood did not spurt in the powerful, uncontrolled way that she would have expected of a natural wound, though its flow pulsed constantly in time with her heart. It arced out of her body, meeting her wand at the point where she held it. As her blood began to flow up her wand, Albus touched the right side of his own throat with his left hand, opening his own artery. The blood from his neck leapt to his wand and pulsed up it to meet with hers. A bridge seemed to form between their wands, and their blood met on that bridge as Albus touched his own throat again, closing the small wound, but Minerva's blood continued to flow, gathering between their wands in a brightly glistening pool of scarlet, and Albus's words grew louder.

Minerva's knees grew weak, and despite her efforts to concentrate on Albus's voice, it seemed that all she could hear was a buzzing sound. Yet she focussed her narrowing vision on his face, trusting him entirely. Suddenly, the pool of blood expanded outward, impossibly growing into a giant sphere. She could feel it pass over her as it rushed outward and upward, yet it did not leave any mark of its passing. Minerva became aware that her blood was no longer flowing out of her, but she could feel her magic continue to pulse through her wand, and finally, she lifted her eyes from Albus's face, following his own gaze upward, where she saw a great iridescence filling the sky, the sky itself no longer visible, only brilliant colour and pearly light.

Just as she sank to her knees, she became aware of an azure sky again, seen as though through a mammoth soap bubble, and she smiled at its beauty before everything went black.

Minerva opened her eyes to see Albus's smiling face.

"There you are, my dear! You did very well!" He kissed her forehead.

"That was beautiful, Albus. You didn't say it would be so beautiful." She smiled as she remembered it.

"That is because I did not know how beautiful it would be, my precious one." He caressed her forehead. "It didn't do that before. I believe that we created a Thousand-Year Ward, something that was only a very remote possibility, had I even thought of it."

Minerva looked around her, aware that they were back in the bedroom. "How long – "

"Less than a minute. I Apparated us back here immediately, and you woke up as soon as I lay you on the bed," Albus said.

"Thousand-Year Wards . . . I have read about them. I didn't think anyone could cast them anymore."

"That is because they do require a blood ritual, which is in most instances forbidden by the Ministry, and certain other conditions must be right for it, as well."

"Is that what Hogwarts has?"

"No – the foundational wards are very similar, but they are too complex to be Thousand-Year Wards, and they require a flexibility that Thousand-Year Wards lack. They also have to be able to be changed easily to adapt to the changing needs and population of the school," Albus explained. "No, this is something more akin to the wards that people believe hide Innis Ablach from the world, and why they have not faded with time despite the fact that no one lives there any longer."

"Of course, if they are that well warded, we wouldn't know if no one lives there or not, would we?" Minerva asked.

"A very good point, my dear!" He chuckled. "Now, I am going to fetch you some juice, then we must be on our way. We can speak more of this later." He kissed her forehead, then Minerva heard him trot down the stairs.

Minerva touched her throat where just a short time ago, her blood had been leaving her body. It didn't hurt at all, though she thought she could detect a slight mark there. Albus strode back into the room, and Minerva sat up and reached for the glass he held out to her.

"Can you sit up all right?" he asked.

"Just fine. I do have a little bit of a headache, though," Minerva said, taking the glass and drinking thirstily.

"I am not surprised, but it should be better soon."

"How much blood was used?" she asked curiously.

"Just a few teaspoons of mine, since I had already done it once, but probably a pint or a bit more from you. It is not surprising that you, um, had a hard time staying on your feet, my dear."

"That I fainted, you mean?" Minerva grinned. "I should hardly think it was surprising, especially given that I was standing up the entire time."

"You did very well, though," Albus said approvingly.

"However did you manage it by yourself, Albus?"

"That, my dear, is a story for another time. Let us simply say that I had one very unhappy house-elf!" He laughed. "Now, it's close to one-fifteen, so we are running a little late. I'm just going to take you and one of your bags so that you have something to return with. Wilspy will bring everything else later. Are you ready?"

"Yes, of course."

Minerva stood as Albus picked up the larger of her two bags. He put a Featherlight Charm on the bag, put his arm around Minerva, kissed her, and together, they Disapparated for the McGonagall Cliffs.